Machine for cooling cream



Aug. 30, 1949.

Filed March 4, 1946 A. JOHNSON MACHINE FOR COOLING CREAM 3 Sheets-Sheet1 ATTOKIVZY Aug. 30, 1949. JOHNSON MACHINE FOR COOLING CREAM Filed March4, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 a m w w z 1 n w n w M 7 w flw 4L l W 7 l /0 w 72 z Q i w a a a a a l 0 7 a Aug. 30, 1949. A. JOHNSON 2,480,583

MACHINE FOR COOLING CREAM FiledMarch 4, 1946 SSheets-Sheet 3 I N V ENTOR. AL [AMA/0E2 40/! 01V AFFORD Z7 Patented Aug. 30, 1949 V 2.480.583MACHINE FOR COOLING CREAM Alexander Johnson,

to Land Minneapolis, Minn, assignor Lakes 'Creameries, Inc.,Minneapolis,

Minn, a corporation of Minnesota Application March 4, 194,6, Serial No.651,841

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a machine which is particularly adapted foruse in cooling and/or congealing cream having a high butterfat content,although it may be used for cooling, thickening or freezing otherliquids of various degrees of viscosity. The present machine is animprovement on that described and claimed in my Patent No. 2,131,439,granted September 27, 1938.

It is an object of my invention to provide a novel and efficient machineof this class in which the liquid to be cooled is spread on the outersurfaces of revolving cylinders and the product is forcibly removed fromthe cylinders after the heat exchange treatment.

A further object is to provide a machine of this class having allsurfaces which come in contact with the cream or other product readilyaccessible for cleaning and sterilization.

A particular object is to provide. in a cream cooler of the characterdescribed, improved means for spreading the cream on and removing itfrom a horizontally extending heat exchange cylinder comprising an opentrough extending along and in contact with the periphery of thecylinder, the trough having a longitudinally extending wall which isadapted to remove the cooled cream from the cylinder.

Another object is to provide a machine of the character described withimproved means for collecting the congealed product from the heatexchange cylinders and discharging it from the machine comprising aflexible, stainless metal belt adapted to be operated continuously andextending longitudinally beneath the heat exchange cylinders.

Other objects will appear and be more fully pointed out in the followingspecification and claims.

In the accompanying drawings, a preferred form of my invention isillustrated by way of example and not for the purpose of limitation.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a plan view of my improved machine;

Fig. 2 is a side elevational view of the same with a portion of theframe broken away to show parts otherwise concealed;

Fig. 3 is an end view of the machine as seen from the right of Figs. 1and 2;

Fig. 4 is a left end view of the machine;

Fig. 5 is a vertical longitudinal section taken approximately on theline 5-5 of Fig. 4; r

Fig. 6 is a vertical cross section taken on the line 6--6 of Fig. 1;

Fig. '7 is a fragmentary vertical section taken approximately on theline 1-1 of Fig. 6, and

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary plan view of the fee trough and supportstherefor at one end.

My machine has a suitable supporting frame indicated generally by thenumeral I0. Revolubly mounted on this frame are heat exchange cylindersII, I2 and I3, the interior of which are supplied with a cooling orrefrigerant medium and upon the exterior of which the cream or otherliquid to be cooled is spread. The cylinder II is disposed above andwith its axis extending horizontally and in parallel relation to theaxes of the cylinders I2 and I3. The latter are mounted with theirperipheries in contact one with the other along a horizontal linebetween them. The line of contact between the cylinders I2 and I3extends below the axis of the cylinder I I. Stainless steel ispreferably used in the construction of the cylinder peripheries and theyhave smooth, polished outer surfaces.

V A feed trough indicated generally by the numeral l4 extends along oneside and below the cylinder I I. This trough has end walls I5 disposedperipendicularly to the axis of the cylinder I I, an inclined bottom [6and a longitudinal side wall I! formed by a bar extending parallel tothe axis of the cylinder II. The edges of the end walls l5 and side wallI1 adjacent to the cylinder II are provided with sealing strips I8 andI9 respectively which make contact with the cylinder and are preferablyconstructed from a suitable resilient and compressible material, e. g.,cork. When the machine is in operation these sealing strips are pressedagainst the surface of the cylinder II to form a liquid-tight seal andto adapt the trough I4 to contain the cream or other liquid to betempered. This trough is open at its top and the liquid is fed into itat a rate such as to maintain a pool of substantial depth in contactwith the cylinder II.

The trough I4 is so supported that it may be readily separated from thecylinder l I for cleaning purposes. A rigid bracket 20 projects upwardfrom each of the end walls I5 and a pivot pin 2| has a bearing in thebracket 20 and is supported in a fixed bearing 22 projecting. from aframe member 23. As best shown in Figs. 5, 6 and 8, near the lowerextremity of each of the walls I5 a stud 24 projects outward to rest ona set screw 25 threaded in a hanger 26. This hanger is sus-.

pended from and is free to oscillate on a stud 2'! rigidly mounted on aframe member 21a. It will be evident that by turning the set screws 25upward, the lower edge of the trough may be pressed upward against thecylinder I I. To free the trough from the cylinder, the screws 25 may beturned downward and then swung with their supporting hangers 26 aboutthe axes of thestuds 21. This allows the lower portion of the trough toswing downward and outward about the supporting pins 2|. When the troughis to be cleaned and/or sterilized, it may be swung outward and upwardto a position such as that indicated in broken lines in Fig. 6.

In operation the cylinder II is rotated in the direction indicated by anarrow in Fig. 6 and the wall I! carrying the sealing strip 29, when inthe full line, operative position shown in the drawings, acts as ascraper to remove thecoating of liquid from the cylinder ii. From thebar ii the cooled product falls into a trough, the bottom of which isformed by the cylinders 12 and 13. As best shown in Figs. 6 and 7, thistrough has .end walls 28 which are rigidly supported onbrackets 29projecting from the frame of the machine near opposite ends respectivelyof the cylinders. Side walls of the lower trough are formed by bars 30which are adjustable vertically so that their lower edges are adapted tospread coatings .of liquid on the peripheries of the cylinders I2 and I3, as the latter are rotated in the directions indieatedby arrows in Fig6. Each of the bars 39 is supported at its ends between vertical guidemembers 3-! (Fig. 7) and lugs 32 project upward and laterally from thebars {to support them on guide studs" 33 and coiled springs cs, Nuts 3 5are threaded "on the upper ends" of the studs 32 to e'ngage and holdthem down against the upwarstnrust of the springs 36." By thisarrangement, the springs 34 tend to'hold-the bars 352 in spaced relationto the peripheries of the cylinders Hand l3 andthe hutsfiiinay-bemanipulated to adiust the spacing and to apply a uni-form film or coatof liquid of the desired thickness to the cylinder's'i! and [-3.

Mountednear andbelow the bight oi the cylinders l2 and i8 is a scraperopposite longitudiha-l edges of which are held in firm contact with therespective cylinders. The mounting for this scraper comprises alongitudinally extending,

rigid bar 31 of T-shape in cross section, an overlying plate 38 andrigid brackets 39 secured to the end frames of the machine Opposite endsoithe bar 3? are secured by the bolts 49 to the respective brackets 39and nuts M are threaded onthe bolts 49 to engage the bottom of the bar31. The scraper 36 is preferably constructed from wood or other materialwhich will not mar the cylinder surfaces or in anywise contaminate thecream or other-product with which it comes in contact. The nuts M on thebolts 11 afford a ready adjustment for the pressure exerted b theedgesof the scrapers 36 on the surfaces of the cylinders 12 and 13L From theopposite edges of the bar t5 the cone gealed cream or other productfalls on an endless conveyor belt 42 which extends longitudinally of theseveral cylinders. This belt is prefer-P ably constructed from'stainlesssteel and is held under tension in suitable rn'anr-rer. It is trainedon'a powerdriven drum $3 and on an idler drum 44 and its upper reach issupported at suitable intervals on rollers 45 Bearing brackets45'support the idler drum 54 and are adjustable by means of bolts 4!(Figs. 5 and 6) to adjust the tension of the belt 42. Engaging the outersuriace of the beltfiZat an end of the machine is a scraper 48 whichremoves the treated product from the belt and causes it to fall intoa'suitable receptacle, notshown.

An electric motor :29 (Figs. 1-4) is provided to rotate the cylinder Habout its axis at a rate which can be regulated independently of the ofoperation ofthe other cylinders. The driving connections between themotor 53 and cylinder it include a beltSil trained on suitablepulleys,speed reducing" gearing in a casing 5i and a gear f xed on ahollowsaxially disposed shaft 53 which revolubly supports and drives thecylinder 1.!- A it opp s t end th li der i e ported on an axiallydisposed shaft 54 having a suitable journal bearing on the frame of themachine. A motor 55 is arranged to drive the cylinders l2 and ,l3throughthe power transmission mechanism shown and including a belt 56, speedreducin gearing in a casing 51, a pinion 58 and gears 53 and 60 mountedrespectively on shafts 13a and lZa supporting the cylinders l3 and 42 atone end. Axially disposed shafts i212 and [31) support .the oppositeends of the cylinders l2 and 13 (Figs. 3, .5 and .6). Power foroperating the belt 42 is transmitted through a train of gears indicatedgenerally by the numeral 51 and including .a shaft 62 and bevel gearing63 conr nected to the drum 43.

A cooling fluid or refrigerant is circulated through the cylinder '11 bya suitable arrangement of inlet' and outlet conduits. As best shown inFig. 5, a hollow shaft 53 is supported in iong itudinally spacedbearings 64 and 55 and a pipe =66 communicates with-the outer end ofthisshaft whioh is open at its inner end within the cylinder H;Extending longitudinally within the shaft 53 and cylinder is astationary pipe -61 supported in the bearing $5. Cooling -fluidmay beadmitted under pressure-through the pipe B g so that it passes withinthe shaft 53 to the inter'ior of the cylinder H and after cooling thecylinder'is discharged through the'pipe 51. 0bviously the direction offlow maybe reversed-by admitting the fluid under pressure through thepipe '3? and drawing it oh through the shaft 53 and pipeiifi. 'Byasi-mi'lar arrangement of fittings, bearings and piping, the --interiorof the cylinders 12 and 13 maybe supplied with refrigerant. In theinterest ofeconomy, 'I prefer to supply cold water to the cylinder iiand low temperature brine or other refrigerant as acoo'ling medium at alower temperature to the cylinders i 2 and 13.

Qrerciion In operation, the cylinders l 12 a 3 ar continuously rotatedin the direction indicated by arrows in Fig. .6 and each of thesecylinders is maintained at a predetermined temperature by circulating .acooling medium through it. The

belt 42 is continuously operatedas indicated, to collect the congealedor refrigerated product and to deliver it over the scraper blade 48 intoastorage or shipping receptacle. Where the machine is used to cool andcongeal cream, the warm cream, immediately after pasteurization and approximately at the pasteuriz-ing temperature'of approximately 140degrees F. may be fed into the trough M. In some casesit is desirable tofeed the cream'to this trough directly from one or more separators. Mymachine is particularly adapted for congealing cream which contains ahigh percentage of butterfat, e. g., 40%. Such cream, upon being cooledto a desirable refrigerating temperature of approximately i5 degrees F.,becomes substantially solid or congealed. This ma chine producescongealed cream by cooling in two stages, the first stage comprising thecooling on the exterior of the cylinder H and the second stage comprisinthe cooling on the cylinders l2 and I3. Thusthe cylinder H may be usedto reduce the temperature of the cream from its pasteurizing temperatureto about 9 degrees F. and the further cooling on the cylinders 12 and 13will, for example, reduce the temperature to about 45 degrees F.

The cream is fed continuously to the trough, indicated generally by thenumeral l4, and is allowed to accumulate in a pool therein. As thecylinder ll rotates, its outer surface is coated with cream supplied bythe trough is. The coa ing is carried upward over the upper peripheryand down at the right side, as seen in Fig. 6, until it reaches the wallI! with its sealing strip Hi. This wall is held in firm sliding contactwith the lower periphery of the cylinder and acts as a scraper to removethe coating of somewhat viscous cream and to cause it to fall into thelower trough having a bottom formed by the cylinders l2 and I3 and sidewalls formed by the bars 36. These bars are supported with their loweredges slightly spaced from the respective cylinders so that they spreadthe cream as a coating of uniform thickness on the chilled cylindricalsurfaces.

As these cylinders rotate in opposite directions they carry the coatingoutward from the center of the trough and then downward and inward untilthe respective coatings reach the scraper 36 below the bight between thecylinders. By the time the cream reaches the scraper 36 it is in thedesired congealed condition. The scraper forcibly removes the coatingsso that the product falls and is collected on the conveyor 42. Asfurther hereinbefore described, this conveyor delivers the product atthe right end of the machine, as shown in Figs. 2 and 5.

All parts of the machine which come in contact with the cream areconstructed from stainless metal or other material which can be readilycleaned and sterilized and which are non-reactive to the product. Forexample, all contact parts may be constructed from stainless steel withthe exception of the sealing strips is and i9 and scrapers 36 and 48.These scrapers may be constructed from suitable hard wood and. thesealing strips may comprise cork or other non-metallic, compressiblematerial which is non-reactive to the cream or other product to betreated. The surfaces of the trough I4, cylinders ll, l2 and I3 and belt42 which come in contact with the cream are all readily accessible forcleaning and sterilization. To gain access to the interior of the troughI 4, it is only necessary to move the supporting hangers 26 out of thepath of the studs 24 projecting from the ends of the trough and to swingthe latter downward and outward about the pivot pins 2| to an accessibleposition, such as that indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 6.

The present machine has a large capacity and is highly eificient as aheat transfer mechanism. Reliable, uniform results are obtained with aminimum of attention, since the surface coatings of cream or otherproduct on the several heat transfer cylinders may be readily controlledand adjusted to obtain a uniform coating.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protectby Letters Patent is:

1. In a machine of the class described, a cylinder disposed with itsaxis horizontal, means for supplying a cooling medium to the interior ofsaid cylinder, a trough extending along and at one side of said.cylinder to receive the liquid to be cooled, said trough having alongitudinal wall extending beneath the cylinder and in parallelrelation to the axis thereof and also having end walls projectinglaterally from the periphery of the cylinder, pivot supports for theupper portion of the trough permitting oscillating movement to and fromthe cylinder, sealing members carried by said longitudinal wall and endwalls for contact with the exterior surface of said cylinder,

means for engaging the lower portion of the trough to press said sealingmembers against the cylinder, said last mentioned means being operableto release the lower portion of the trough and allow it to swing outwardfrom the cylinder about said pivot supports and means for revolving thecylinder about its axis.

2. In a machine for congealing cream and like products, a cylinderdisposed with its axis horizontal, a trough extending along and at oneside of said cylinder to receive the liquid cream and to apply it to theexterior surface of said cylinder, said trough having a longitudinalwall extending adjacent to the cylinder and in parallel relation to itsaxis and also having end walls projecting laterally from the peripheryof the cylinder, sealing members carried by the edges of saidlongitudinal wall and end Walls for contact with the exterior surface ofsaid cylinder, said longitudinal wall and the sealing member carriedthereby being disposed to remove cream from the lower periphery of saidcylinder a pair of cylinders mounted with their axes in horizontallyspaced relation to each other and with their peripheries in rollingcontact one with the other below said longitudinal wall of the trough toreceive the cooled cream therefrom by gravtiy, means for spreading thecream on the upper peripheries of the cylinders of said pair, meanspositioned below the bight of said cylinders for removing the congealedcream therefrom, and endless belt conveyor extending longitudinally ofthe bight of the pair of cylinders below the same to receive and collectthe congealed product therefrom, means for rotating the severalcylinders, means for cooling them and means for operating said belt todeliver the congealed cream at an end of the machine.

3. In a machine of the class described, a cylinder disposed with itsaxis horizontal, means for supplying a cooling medium to the interior ofsaid cylinder, a trough extending longitudinally beneath and at one sideof said cylinder to receive liquid to be cooled and to apply it to theexterior surface of the cylinder, means pivotally supporting said troughand permitting it to be oscillated to an inverted position spaced fromand at one side of said cylinder, said trough having a longitudinal wallextending in parallel relation to the axis of said cylinder and alsohaving end walls projecting laterally from the periphery of thecylinder, sealing members carried by the edges of said longitudinal walland end walls for contact with the exterior surface of said cylinder,supporting means for the lower portion of the trough adapted to bemanipulated for pressing said sealing members in contact with saidcylinder and means for revolving said cylinder about its axis in adirection to carry a coating of liquid from the top of the trough uponthe periphery of the cylinder.

ALEX JOHNSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number

